FAQ

For initial naturopathic medical visits, we have an intake packet that must be completed prior to scheduling your first visit. This allows our doctors to be prepared and make the most efficient use of your time together. Please call or email the clinic to be sent this intake packet. As soon as we receive your completed forms we will call you to schedule your visit.

Initial acupuncture visits can be scheduled by calling or emailing the clinic. There is a brief intake form and consent forms that can be signed in the office, or we can send these to you to fill out ahead of time. If filling out the forms in office, please arrive 10-15 minutes before your scheduled visit. 

This really varies based on the condition being treated. For musculoskeletal pain conditions, we often recommend scheduling a series of at least 3 visits, 1-2 weeks apart. The acupuncturist can re-assess after the third visit and determine what kind of continued care is appropriate. 

We see patients for both naturopathic medical visits and acupuncture visits throughout their fertility journey. An initial naturopathic medical visit is often the best place to start for patients with a more complicated medical history, who might need further workup with labs and imaging, and who want discuss supplements and dietary recommendations in greater depth. 

Acupuncture can also be helpful to support patients who are trying to get pregnant, whether on their own or in conjunction with their OBGYN or fertility clinic. For acupuncture fertility support while going through IVF, it is ideal to start 3 months before an egg retrieval to optimize health going into the procedure. Visits can be scheduled every 2-4 weeks (depending on specific health concerns), with increased frequency of visits leading up to the retrieval. For embryo transfer, it is ideal to schedule weekly visits for at least 4 weeks leading up to the transfer. There is also research showing benefit of having acupuncture immediately before and immediately after embryo transfer. If you are at the local IVF clinic, these visits can be done in our office. If your IVF clinic is out of the area, we recommend finding someone closer to the clinic for these two treatments. The exact schedule of acupuncture can be customized to meet each patient’s needs and to minimize adding any additional scheduling or financial stress.

Yes. Naturopathic doctors can order labs either through your insurance, or through a cash pay lab. Imaging can be ordered if you have insurance coverage through a PPO plan. Labs and imaging may be covered based on the benefits of your specific insurance plan. It is the patient’s responsibility to understand what labs and imaging centers are in network and the details of coverage. Please know that some tests may not be considered medically necessary by your insurance company, and you will be responsible for these payments. We are unable to order labs or imaging through Medicare or HMO insurance plans. We have a steeply discounted cash pay agreement through Quest Diagnostics and can provide cash pricing for bloodwork if you have limited or no insurance coverage, or if you choose to not use your insurance for labs. 

For naturopathic medical visits: We are currently unable to bill insurance, though we can provide you with a superbill that you can submit to your insurance for potential reimbursement. Reimbursement for naturopathic medical visits and services varies among insurance companies. We recommend you speak to your insurance company directly to understand any benefits you might have. 

For acupuncture: We are considered an out of network provider for all insurance companies. We currently courtesy bill for certain Blue Cross plans. For all other plans we can give you a superbill that you can submit to your insurance for potential reimbursement. 

Please see more details about fees and insurance here.

Please estimate how much time you will need when scheduling a follow up naturopathic medical visit. A 15-30 minute visit may ne appropriate for a brief check in about an existing concern. If you are reviewing complicated lab results with your provider, we usually recommend at least a 45 minute visit. If you have extensive labs to discuss, multiple new concerns. or have not been seen in many years, a 60 minute visit is often needed. 

Please know that you will be charged based on the amount of time spent, not the amount of time scheduled. For example, if you schedule a 45 minute visit, but the visit only lasts 30 minutes, you will be charged for 30 minutes. Likewise, if you schedule a 15 minute visit, but the appointment lasts 30 minutes, you will be charged for 30 minutes. 

If you know you can only spend a certain amount of time in a visit, please make this clear to your provider at the start of your visit and at the time of scheduling. We appreciate your consideration in helping visits to run smoothly, and allowing our providers to be compensated for their time!

Yes. All of our naturopathic doctors can prescribe perimenopausal and menopausal hormone therapy. There has been some confusion about the term “bioidentical” in recent years, as bioidentical hormones were previously only available from compounding pharmacies. The field of hormone therapy has greatly evolved in the 20+ years since the flawed Women’s Health Initiative study ended. There are now multiple excellent bioidentical hormone options that are FDA approved and commercially available from any pharmacy (e.g. Estradiol patches and tablets, Oral Micronized Progesterone), and we often prescribe these to our patients. We still have excellent compounding pharmacists that we trust and utilize to make our patients individualized bioidentical hormone prescriptions as well. There are so many good options now!

Hormone therapy is not right for everyone, and involves joint decision-making between a patient and their doctor. It is safest to start systemic hormone therapy within 10 years of menopause. For patients outside this 10 year window, the risks might outweigh the benefits. The same is true for women with a history of certain types of cancers and other risk factors. This discussion is all part of the detailed initial naturopathic medical intake. 

Our doctors recommend a baseline mammogram and basic labs prior to initiating any hormone therapy, and generally recommend yearly screening mammograms for women on hormone therapy. We need to see patients in person at least once per year to continue any hormone prescriptions. Please take these recommendations into account prior to scheduling your visit.

While naturopathic doctors are trained in primary care medicine and practice as PCPs in other states, in California our ability to practice medicine to the full extent of our training is currently somewhat restricted. Our current scope of practice allows us to independently prescribe natural and synthetic hormones, including thyroid medications, estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone therapies. We are not currently able to independently prescribe other types of prescription medications (e.g. antibiotics, blood pressure medication, etc) without MD/DO supervision. For these reasons, we recommend patients maintain a primary care provider (PCP) outside of our clinic. Please keep this in mind when scheduling your appointments. 

Good question! The term “functional medicine” has been gaining more popularity in recent years, and we have been getting this question more and more. There are certainly a lot of similarities between naturopathic medicine and functional medicine, including a focus on patient-centered care, individualized natural therapies and preventative medicine. The term seems to have first come into existence when the Institute of Functional Medicine (IFM) was established in 1991. IFM provides continuing education and certifies various types of licensed healthcare professionals (physicians, nurses, chiropractors, etc) in functional medicine principles and therapies. IFM employs multiple naturopathic doctors as clinical educators, and its founder was previously on the board of Bastyr University, one of the accredited naturopathic medical schools in Seattle. Many of the principles and therapies taught in functional medicine courses are also part of naturopathic medical school curriculum. 

Since the founding of IFM, many other functional medicine training programs have come to be. While all licensed naturopathic doctors graduate from accredited naturopathic medical schools, functional medicine providers come from various types of backgrounds in healthcare. The term “functional medicine” is not necessarily regulated, so a functional medicine provider might be anyone from a physician to an unlicensed health coach. 

We see children on a case-by-case basis. We are not able to provide primary care or in any way replace a child’s pediatrician. We can provide supportive naturopathic care for certain conditions such as eczema, environmental allergies, ADHD, and certain menstrual and digestive concerns. Please call to discuss your child’s specific needs. 

For acupuncture, we can provide treatment for teenagers who are comfortable with needles. For younger or more sensitive children, we often refer to Naomi Brebes at Aligned Acu Spa, who specializes in pediatrics.

Yes! We are happy to do telemedicine or phone visits for patients who are unable to come into the office. We do request an in-person visit at least once per year to maintain any medication prescriptions. 

No. At this time our doctors are only licensed to see patients in the state of California.

Please provide our office with 24-hour notice (the previous business day) to change or cancel an appointment. Monday appointments must be cancelled the previous Friday. Appointments the day after a legal holiday must be cancelled the previous business day.

Patients who do not attend a scheduled appointment or do not provide 24-hour notice to change a scheduled appointment may be responsible for a $50.00 service charge. This charge cannot be billed to insurance and must be paid on or before the next scheduled appointment.

Please arrive on time for your appointment. If you are more than 10 minutes late to your appointment, your doctor may not be able to accommodate you and you may be charged $50.00 for the missed visit.

After three missed or cancelled appointments without the appropriate 24-hour notice, you may be placed on a same day scheduling policy for your treatments, which would not allow you to schedule any appointments in advance. 

We realize that emergencies and other scheduling conflicts arise and are sometimes unavoidable. However, advance notice allows us to fulfill other patient’s scheduling needs and keeps the clinic operating at is most efficient level. Due to our one-on-one treatments, missed appointments are a significant inconvenience to your doctor, the clinic and other patients.